The backlash against Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte continues to escalate as the government sticks to downplaying the controversial collision between a Philippine fishing boat and a Chinese-owned vessel in the West Philippine Sea.
The words “Duterte duwag (coward)” was a top trending topic on local Twitter this morning as Filipino netizens called the president out for being uncharacteristically chill about the situation.
Many Filipinos are still angry with last week’s news that a Chinese-owned trawler hit a Philippine fishing boat near the Recto Bank (Reed Bank) and subsequently fled the scene even as 22 fishermen struggled to stay afloat.
After close to a week of silence, Duterte finally addressed the issue on Monday, only to dismiss people’s concerns by calling it 鈥渏ust a collision of ships,鈥 and not something to wage war over.
However, many are pointing out that Duterte is missing the point.
“Demanding accountability does not equate to war,” Twitter user @jvcabrera_ said.
Demanding accountability does not equate to war
DUTERTE DUWAG
— jv (@jvcabrera_)
@shynbonifacio wrote: “The issue here is about human lives. It’s about abandoning people after the collision. This is not about war. This is simply about giving value to human lives and being accountable to mistakes. An apology could have been acceptable.”
The issue here is about human lives. It's about abandoning people after the collision.
This is not about war. This is simply about giving value to human lives and being accountable to mistakes. An apology could have been acceptable.DUTERTE DUWAG
— SHYN 鉁岋笍 (@shyn_vip)
China has acknowledged that it was a Chinese crew that hit the Philippine fishing boat but has not apologized for the incident. Instead, it claimed that the Chinese vessel and was trying to evacuate the area when it hit the Filipinos’ boat. It also rejected reports calling the Chinese crew’s inaction a “hit and run,” reasoning that they did not help in fear that they would be surrounded by other Filipino fishing boats.
However, satellite data shows that this because the other fishing vessels in the area were too far away, Rappler reported. The Filipino fishing boat captain Junel Insigne .
The 22 Filipino fishermen struggled in the water while wearing life jackets and clung on to plastic barrels and shattered pieces of wood for hours before they were rescued by a Vietnamese fishing boat where they were fed rice and noodles.
“I believe that anyone who heads out to sea would have done the same thing, not just us,鈥 Ngo Van Theng, the owner of the Vietnamese vessel .
Department of Agriculture Secretary Manny 笔颈帽辞濒 thanked the Vietnamese yesterday but did not miss the chance to point out that they were fishing in the area illegally.
“They were actually poaching, including the Vietnamese that actually aided us. I’m sorry to say that,” 笔颈帽辞濒 yesterday, according to GMA News.
笔颈帽辞濒 was in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro with police officers in full riot gear yesterday to , nets, hook and lines, life vests, rice.
Following 笔颈帽辞濒’s visit, boat captain Insigne changed his tune about what happened at sea that night and said that he was no longer sure if the hit was intentional.
“I was confused … it’s like they hit us but also like they didn’t,” Insigne , according to聽GMA News.
The boat captain earlier expressed disappointment over Duterte’s meek response to the issue, saying that it feels like they were being swept aside.
鈥淚 am sad because it seems that the move to ram us was just swept aside. What if many of us died?鈥 he told ABS-CBN News in Filipino. 鈥淚 wanted to hear from him (Duterte) that the Chinese captain would be held accountable. I also hope the Chinese fishing there would be asked to leave because the incident may happen again next year.鈥
He also previously said that he turned down a meeting with Duterte but took this back yesterday, saying that the invitation to discuss the issue actually came from 笔颈帽辞濒 and not the president.
“I apologize to our beloved president who, it turns out, did not invite me. It was actually Secretary 笔颈帽辞濒 who invited me. I did not go, I backed out because I did not feel well,” Insigne said.
笔颈帽辞濒 as “scathing statements against President Rody Duterte” that were “feasted on by the critical media.”
The sudden change in Insigne’s account of the incident has led many to allege that they were pressured by the government to do so but 笔颈帽辞濒 denies this.
“Let me just correct the impression that there was any attempt on the part of the government or this administration to intimidate the fishermen to change their story or come up with a lie that is favorable to [the] government,” he told radio DZMM earlier today. “That is unfair to well-meaning people in government right now.”
The government has cast doubt on Insigne’s initial account, saying that it was only the boat’s cook Richard Blaza who was awake when the Chinese vessel rammed them. However,聽搁补辫辫濒别谤听reported that Blaza himself said that including Inisgne who tried to move the boat away from the Chinese trawler.
The Philippine government against China and the crew of the Chinese vessel at the moment, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told reporters today, ABS-CBN News wrote.
He said the cabinet agreed that it is necessary to conduct a joint marine inquiry with China to “establish the true facts, allocate responsibility for restitution, and adopt measures to avoid similar incidents in the future.”
The Duterte administration has been criticized for allegedly being pro-China. The president has refused to uphold the 2016 arbitral tribunal decision that ruled in favor of the Philippines鈥 claims over the West Philippine Sea. He has also been lax about addressing the in the country.
